In chess, there are four hundred possible board combinations after each player’s opening move and over nine million by the time both players have had three turns. Simply put, it’s impossible to know the best way to have a perfect game. But you can know the best ways to utilize your pieces…
Most of us know the common marketing jargon: Content is King. Content marketing plays a vital role in today’s marketing world, but it’s not the answer by itself. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 77 percent of B2C marketers claim to use content marketing, but only 37 percent of these marketers find it effective. The missing piece to ensuring success with content marketing is the use of influencers.
Content may be king, but influence is power! [Tweet this]
Even when high-quality content is shared on a frequent basis, the 27 million other pieces of content shared that same day are in competition for viewer attention. Like the countless possibilities a chess board offers, your online presence can be buried as easily as it can go viral. Focusing only on content is missing the big picture of the marketing game, and the importance of strategy.
Think five moves ahead… Keep content in mind with every decision, but remember to play to the strengths of your other pieces.
Have a Pulse
CEO of HubSpot, Brian Halligan, describes engagement with content marketing as the need to “be a hub, not a megaphone.” Brands can no longer broadcast claims as their means of communicating to consumers; they must act as a two-way channel of information.
Not all businesses are able to effectively use this two-way communication with 50 percent of B2C marketers claiming to struggle with creating engaging content. By definition, an influencer creates engaging content! Every interaction has the ability to make a lasting impact on a consumer and you are more likely to achieve your conversion goals if your business shows signs of life. Putting the interactive side of marketing in the hands of influencers is an easy way to stay in constant contact with an audience.
Influencers promote their own content and converse with their audience on a daily basis. By advocating your brand within their content, influencers are able to engage on a person-to-person level about your brand. Capitalizing on these pre-existing relationships and their content can help expand your brand’s reach in the most efficient manner.
Follow the Thought Leader
As the number one goal for B2C marketers, customer retention and loyalty are the driving forces behind content marketing. In order to build loyalty, customers must feel connected to the brand. A properly functioning product and strong content is far from enough these days to make sure a user remains a customer. By engaging with influencers, marketers are able to fight through the noise and make a lasting impression on specific audiences. These audiences consist of target customers as well as additional consumers who may not have otherwise been exposed to your brand.
By giving influencers autonomy or working alongside them to create content, you get to skip the “rabbit hole” stage of deciding what your audience wants to hear. Influencers have already established themselves as thought leaders in their content category, therefore making them trustworthy sources to influence decision-making habits. At 89 percent, customer testimonials are the most effective form of content marketing. There is no stronger customer to provide a testimonial than a thought leading influencer.
Variety + Consistency = Multiple Personalities
Creating content with variety is an issue for 40 percent of B2C marketers. This is commonly a result of not wanting to create an inconsistent brand identity, and rightfully so. Unless your brand takes a Jekyll and Hyde approach (not recommended), it’s difficult to be seen as having more than one personality (or archetype). Targeting everyone isn’t the point, but the influencer loophole helps brands maximize variety without having to compromise their consistency or the trust of their customers.
A brand viewed as a “creator” will want to avoid mixing signals, but can still benefit from showcasing its application to the “everyman” or the “explorer.” This is where influencers come into play. An influencer is able to attract a certain audience that may be completely different from the brand’s personality. By using their own voice to advocate for a brand, an influencer can share a wider variety of content than a brand can on its own.
Protect your King from Checkmate
When the dust settles, content is still going to be the backbone of your marketing success, it is king after all. Influence has the power to create true brand supporters. Content with the personal touch of a trusted advocate is how all the right customers will finally hear the message you’ve been shouting all along. Make the right move, and let the power of influence catapult your content to the next level!
How have you used influencers to boost your content marketing?
Running influencer marketing campaigns should be fun and easy. That’s why InNetwork’s software is here to help you build strong relationships, manage your influencer campaign from start to finish, collaborate, quickly identify influencers and get data from your campaigns. Say hello to the new social contract.
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